from linwood to chopping wood

As much as I adore Patterson Park, on occasion I do find a need to leave my lovely neighborhood for a little change of pace and altered scenery, and the great thing about where we live is the amazing proximity to so many easy day trips of easy weekend getaways. As I mentioned in Friday's post, I went camping this past weekend for the first time in my adult life. N and I left our Park around 3 o'clock and headed to Elk Neck State Park. It was probably about an hour and fifteen minutes door to tent, and a really lovely drive that avoided the Bay Bridge entirely - woohoo!

I chopped wood to build my very first fire, hiked a lot, cooked meals outside, and played football in a river. While it reminded me of why, say, I like living in a HOUSE, it was pretty neat to be so totally out of my element. I only complained a little bit about Nature's relentless attempts to conquor me ;-)

It's pretty neat that in under two hours we Patterson Parkers can be down in D.C, flitting around Philly, camping riverside in a state park, or skiing in the mountains. As awesome as our neighborhood is, it's good to get back to nature every once in a while, or explore other cities. After all, doesn't absence make the heart grow a fonder?

So next time you find yourself with a free weekend (which might be hard, given the Patterson Park social calendar...), check out some of these ideas, or close your eyes and pick a spot on a map and take off for a day drive or a weekend trip to explore somewhere new. Just make sure that you come back!

love k